Raw Tuesday recipes: pasta puttanesca and pumpkin pie

It’s supposedly summer here in Johannesburg, but it’s been rather gloomy and wet lately. The schizophrenic weather seems to have influenced the menu this week. The pasta is summery, while the pumpkin pie is definitely more of an autumn classic (at least in the US). Both are delicious, and not that difficult to make.

Raw vegan pasta puttanesca

Pasta puttanesca (serves 4)

16 baby marrows (zucchini/courgette)

5 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 small cloves garlic, minced

4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thin and soaked in water for at least 10 minutes to rehydrate

Julienne the baby marrows to make “noodles”. Place the strips in a colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for at least 1 hour. This softens the noodles and prevents them from making the sauce watery later. When the noodles have softened, toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

To serve, top noodles with the dehydrated tomato sauce, sun-dried tomatoes (drained), olives, capers, baby tomatoes and parsley. Sprinkle a little raw parmesan on top and enjoy.

Raw vegan pasta puttanesca with raw parmesan

Raw Brazil nut parmesan

small handful Brazil nuts

pinch of salt

Instructions: Put Brazil nuts and salt into food processor and pulse until the nuts are ground.

Pumpkin pie

I got this recipe from Matthew Kenny’s book, Everyday Raw (click here if you’re in SA). It’s a really lovely book with recipes that are simple but still elegant. The crazy thing about the pumpkin pie is that it doesn’t have any pumpkin in it! The orange colour comes from carrot juice. I tried using pumpkin juice, and found that while the taste is slightly more authentic, the texture is a bit grainy. So carrot juice it is!

Raw vegan pumpkin pie

Since it’s not my recipe, I can’t share it here. I can tell you, however, that I used my own crust recipe– the usual 1 cup of nuts (pecans in this case), 1/2 cup of dates, pinch of salt. I added a drop of maple syrup and a little coconut oil as well. If you search on the net, you may find an adaptation of this recipe out there. Or better yet, click on the links above and buy the book. It’s worth it!